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Michael Smolka
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Michael Smolka is an at-large representative on the Community Consolidated School District 15 school board in Illinois. Smolka won a first term in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017. He ran as a member of the Engage D15 slate.[1] All five members of the slate were elected to the board.[2]
Elections
2017
Five seats on the Community Consolidated School District 15 school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. Four seats were up for regular election and came with a four-year term. One seat was up for a special election and had a two-year term. Incumbents Peggy Babcock, Gerald Chapman, and James Ekeberg ran for re-election against challengers Lisa Beth Szczupaj, Anthony Wang, Michael Smolka, Adam Bauske, Asad "Sid" Aman, and Frank Annerino. Barbara Kain and David Border ran in the special election for the seat with the two-year term.[3] Annerino, Kain, Smolka, Szczupaj, and Wang ran together as the Engage D15 slate.[4] All five members of the slate won election to the board.[2]
Results
| Community Consolidated School District 15, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Michael Smolka |
15.40% | 6,361 |
| Lisa Beth Szczupaj |
14.01% | 5,788 |
| Anthony Wang |
13.27% | 5,480 |
| Frank Annerino |
13.23% | 5,466 |
| Gerald Chapman Incumbent | 10.07% | 4,158 |
| Peggy Babcock Incumbent | 9.34% | 3,858 |
| Adam Bauske | 9.11% | 3,763 |
| James Ekeberg Incumbent | 8.17% | 3,375 |
| Asad Aman | 7.25% | 2,993 |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 62 |
| Total Votes | 41,304 | |
| Source: Cook County Clerk, "Consolidated Election April 4, 2017 Summary Report," accessed April 19, 2017 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[5]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[6]
Smolka reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in the election.[7]
Endorsements
Smolka was endorsed by the Daily Herald and the organization 4RD15Kids.[8][9]
Campaign themes
2017
Smolka highlighted why he ran for school board on his campaign website:
| “ | Mike strongly believes that the Board of Education has not put the best interests of the community at the forefront of their decisions. The most recent examples of this include the debate over the shortened school day for 'Teacher Enrichment Time' (late start/early release), the 10-year teacher contract, and the attempted $130 million referendum. He believes increased visibility of school board members is an important step forward to invite an honest, open and frank dialogue with the community to improve educational outcomes.[10] | ” |
| —Michael Smolka (2017)[11] | ||
See also
- Community Consolidated School District 15, Illinois
- Community Consolidated School District 15 elections (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Palatine Patch, "Are Political Party Endorsements A Bad Idea For D15 School Board Candidates?" February 10, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cook County Clerk, "April 04, 2017 Consolidated General Election Search for Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "Candidate filing for April 4, 2017 consolidated election," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Palatine Patch, "Are Political Party Endorsements A Bad Idea For D15 School Board Candidates?" February 10, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Endorsement: Let District 15 begin again with a fresh non-slate," March 5, 2017
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "From the community: 4RD15Kids Endorses Engage D15 Candidates for District 15 School Board," March 21, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Engage D15, "Meet the Candidates: Michael Smolka," accessed March 22, 2017
